ADVOCATING FOR SOLUTIONS
Preble Street is committed to motivating both the public and private will to end hunger, homelessness, and poverty in the lives of our neighbors and to building strong, equitable, and just communities.
Healthy communities depend on dignity, equity, and opportunity for all. In order to end the tragedy of long lines at shelters and soup kitchens, racial injustices, children experiencing hunger, and human trafficking, we must listen to the voices of the people directly impacted by those problems. These individuals are the experts of their own experiences, and we must support their participation in creating and implementing solutions.
Preble Street advocacy efforts work toward solutions to the social, economic, and political systems that have historically perpetuated the inequities of our society. Our advocacy work includes community organizing, policy advocacy, and systems advocacy.
Why do Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty Persist?
The issues of hunger, homelessness, and poverty persist in our country because of:
- Intergenerational poverty & wealth disparities
- Structural racism & the continued impact of White Supremacy
- Concentration of wealth into the hands of a few
- Gentrification
- Social policies that direct wealth upward
- Disinvestment from social services
- “Bootstraps” mentality
- Impact of COVID-19
The experience of poverty is intergenerational, and poverty is expensive. When a person’s resources are being stretched to make ends meet, any unexpected expense could mean total financial ruin.
We also know that the social systems that shape our society — like white supremacy culture — have tangible effects on homelessness and poverty. In Maine, Black and African American individuals are ten times more likely to experience homelessness than their White peers.
Meanwhile, gentrification is turning Portland and many other Maine towns into places where only the wealthy can afford to live and work, while the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to increase the need for housing and food assistance in our communities. Despite all this, there is a prevailing idea that everyone can just “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” a philosophy that places the blame of homelessness and poverty on the individuals experiencing it rather than the larger systems that perpetrate racial, social, and economic injustices.
The barriers faced by the people we serve are numerous and complex. By focusing on key issues and enacting pertinent legislation during the 131st Legislative Session, we can lessen these barriers and empower the people and communities we serve. Learn more about the priority bills for Preble Street this year.
Homeless Voices for Justice
Homeless Voices for Justice is a state-wide, grassroots, social change movement, organized and led by people with lived experience of homelessness.
Maine Hunger Initiative
The Maine Hunger Initiative is a collaborative effort to meet immediate food needs while creating long-term solutions to hunger.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Portland honors the 50 community members who died in 2024 at Annual Vigil
Last night, a vigil was held to remember the friends from the Greater Portland homeless community who died in 2024. On one of the longest nights of the year, a candlelit procession marched from the Maine-Health Preble Street Learning Collaborative to Monument Square. Matt Brown from Hope Squad Maine and Billie-Jo Burgess, a person with
Compassion in action: Preble Street at 50
“If you can’t get what you need, we’re here,” was the message Joe Kreisler wanted people experiencing poverty to hear when he founded High Street Resource Center (the organization that evolved into Preble Street) in 1975. The grand opening ofFlorence House Sign for the original High Street Resource Center Mark Swann, Bruce Logan, and Joe Kreisler
A look back at 2024
2024 was a year full of many difficult challenges and lessons but also a year full of progress on important issues. After 50 years, we know how important it is to recognize the positive while still holding space to learn from the obstacles we’ve faced. As 2024 comes to a close, Preble Street looks ahead
